Interviews

THE KRISTEN ALDERSON INTERVIEW – ONE LIFE TO LIVE

This week on One Life to Live, Starr is on a collision course with discovering the truth about the baby she was set to give to Marcie McBain, before the baby supposedly “died”. But as fans know, Jessica’s alter ego, Bess, switched the baby after Jessica lost the child she was carrying on one unforgettable night in Llanview that has created some of the most riveting drama in the shows history. Add into the mix, another eventful Llanview High prom, this time featuring the musical act, The Pussycat Dolls, and Starr is in a for one hell of a week.

Kristen Alderson has displayed her acting chops as Starr, from her teen pregnancy storyline and its’ aftermath, to the complicated and tumultuous relationship with Starr’s father Todd, and with her former boyfriend, the drug-addicted Cole. These moments have given Alderson all the material she needs to justify her finally being nominated and winning the Emmy for Outstanding Younger Actress in a Drama Series. She hopes to find out if she will be in contention this coming Thursday, when the nominations are announced in New York.

Watching both Kristen and Starr grow up before our eyes, made her soaps “little girl”. So much so, that fans can’t believe how both the actress and her character have matured on-screen. Daily, soap fans and soap pundits can’t wait to see Kristen’s knockout performances. The actress has also become a strong and leading advocate in speaking out on teen pregnancy and the importance of teens and their parents being able to talk about sex.

Listen to the audio:

Do you think Cole and Starr will end up together again? Many are rooting for them, but their lives are certainly making it complicated for these teenagers to get back to their relationship.

KRISTEN:

I think they have a lot of drama going on in their lives right now, but they are getting closer and closer. I think maybe something will develop after all the drama dies down; with him going through so much, and her going through so much, and going through so much together. They have really realized that they need each other to help one another out. They’re realizing they are working better as a team than alone. I don’t really know if it’s anything romantic, quite yet. They are putting that on hold while they have so much to deal with.

MICHAEL:

This past week she helped Cole with his drug addiction. How did that go for you?

KRISTEN:

Actually, in the scene where they are in Starr’s bedroom and he is detoxing, I thought Brandon did a phenomenal job on that. I could not wait to see the air shows, because it was all the ‘buzz’ around the studio how amazing he was.
I was in the scenes with him and caught up in the moment, and kind of shocked
at how realistic it was. It scared me. You know how traumatic things happen, or you see someone that you care about going through something, and it’s so emotional for you that you forget about
it a little, and this is how I felt about this. Brandon did such a great job and was so believable. I don’t remember that much
of it and that is why I was so interested
to see how it came out.

MICHAEL:

This week, and through May Sweeps, the investigation into baby Hope’s “death” is front and center!

KRISTEN:

Yes, there is going to be a lot that is uncovered about baby Hope’s “death”, and a lot of drama. It’s amazing and it’s stuff no one can miss, and if you miss an episode you are going to miss something. I think that what’s so great about it. It’s all coming out and building up to this big explosion! It will be really interesting to see what happens, and I think the fans will freak over all of it!

MICHAEL:

So, does our Starr finally learn the truth that her child did not “die”?

KRISTEN:

Yes, she finds out. I think it’s going to be quite overwhelming for her. The biggest thing is, while this is so amazing, she is like, “Oh, my God! Now I have this huge decision! Do I keep her? Or, do I still give her to Marcy?”

MICHAEL:

I know! We all know that sadly, Kathy Brier (Marcy) and Chris Stack (Michael) are exiting the show shortly. So the mystery is: are they going to leave Llanview with a baby in their arms?
Or be dejected, and leave Llanview
and start a new life?

KRISTEN:

Right. You don’t know if the baby is going with them. You know, the baby could be taken off everyone’s hands, and there are a lot of possibilities, and it involves almost everyone in Llanview. It’s been amazing to tape it all. Every time I get a script, I go “Oh, my God! This happens?” It’s exciting!

MICHAEL:

Kristen, you have been front and center all year long, and last year, too. If you don’t get the Emmy this year, I am going to throw a fit! You should have won it many times over, already. What did you submit? The nominations will be announced on Thursday… our fingers are crossed!

KRISTEN:

I submitted the episode when Starr first found out that the baby had died. She was in the hospital and she was talking to Blair and Marcy, wondering why the baby had not come back yet, and she is all excited. Dr. Joplin comes in with the horrible news, and we all figure it out right then and there. I think what was so great about the scenes was that everyone did such a great job. It was so realistic! I tend to get caught up in the scenes, as well. So, I watched my tape, and I am really happy with it. The other years that I have submitted my stuff, they would go, “Oh, you deserve it!” But, I never felt worthy of it. But now, I really feel confident with what I submitted.

MICHAEL:

Prom is this week, too! Oh, boy, drama! And top pop recording act, The Pussycat Dolls, performs for the kids of Llanview High! How was having them on the show?

KRISTEN:

I love them! They are one of my favorite bands, and I was freaking out. I was so excited that they were at One Life. What’s kind of fun about the prom scenes is that Starr and Cole have been going through so much drama; they haven’t had the chance to be their age and relax about stuff. They kind of go there to take their minds off everything. By the end of the night, they realize they can’t take their minds off of it, because their daughter is being exhumed that night. It’s hard to think, “Oh, Yay! The Pussycat Dolls!” As soon as they stop performing, when you are going through such a tough thing like that, it’s hard to not think about the reality.

MICHAEL:

Did you get to meet and talk with Nicole Scherzinger, lead singer of the Dolls?

KRISTEN:

I did. I got to meet all the girls and they were all so sweet. Nicole was actually sick that day and you could not really tell because she was so professional, and she still went out and gave it her all. I said to her, “How are you feeling? I hear you are feeling sick?” And she went, “I am deadly sick.” But they were sweet, and it was great to have them on our show.

MICHAEL:

Trevor St John (Todd) and you are so terrific to watch as father/daughter… and so is Kassie DePaiva, as your mom, Blair. Do you have a close bond on and off the set?

KRISTEN:

We all really do. I actually think what makes that bond stronger is that we are all really goofy people. We just laugh constantly. Even when we have serious scenes, there are times where Trevor says one thing and he knows it will crack me up in a scene that is not so traumatic. We all know how to crack each other up. We have a blast, and whenever we are rehearsing our lines, we at least run through it a couple of time in funny voices before doing it normally.

MICHAEL:

What did you think of the duct tape scenes where Starr was held hostage by former Marty gang rapist, Zack Rosen?

KRISTEN:

I thought they were so fun! I was on set going, “I get to be duct taped? How cool!” I know it may sound sick that I thought that was cool, but obviously, it was not real duct tape. So it was not sticky, nor did it hurt. I think it’s exiting to do stunts like that and to do daring things on the show. Zack was saying a lot of creepy things about Starr, and it was all very different. I have never performed material like that where I had a creepy guy coming on to me. I mean it was gross, but kind of funny. It was interesting.

MICHAEL:

Ron Carlivati (Head writer, “OLTL”) and you have an amazing collaboration in bringing Starr’s story to life Starr now seems she is way beyond her years in age, and that she does not enjoy certain aspects of being a teenager anymore. Is that how you are playing her?

KRISTEN:

I realized it after watching the show of her giving birth. Also, after Starr went in to confront Todd and make him admit what he did. I just walked in and I had this different demeanor. I went, “Wow! Starr’s changed so much.” I think the storyline matured me, in a way. I did a lot of interviews about teen pregnancy, and really got the issue out there. I felt like I went through it myself, and learned a lot from it. It’s kind of matured me along with my character, and it’s had an affect on both of us.

MICHAEL:

Now, let’s turn to Starr’s relationship with Mr. “J”. Does she still have feelings for her former teacher, or is that over?

KRISTEN:

I think she was on the rebound and missed Cole. He was her best friend, and she wanted to be with him so bad. Langston is her best friend, but at the same time, Cole was going through terrible times like Starr was. She really related to Cole, because she was at the same maturity level as him. She lost Cole to drugs and she could not get him back, and she felt, “I am too messed up on my own. I can’t be helping him or I will go off the deep end.” So she went off and found this other person to replace her feelings for Cole, not only as a friend, but in another way. I think most of it was not sexual, but more out of desperation.

MICHAEL:

What do you think of Scott Clifton, who plays Schuyler Joplin?

KRISTEN:

He is amazing! I have known him for five years, ever since General Hospital. We used to do fan events together. He actually thought our age difference was so much more than it was. We are still 6 or 7 years apart. We were out to lunch one day and he says to me, “So you are 14, or whatever, right?” I go, “No, my 18th birthday is coming up,” and he goes, “You are going to be 18?” And I go, “Well you are like 27 or 28!” And he goes, “No, I’m 24.” And we were shocked, because he was always like my older friend, Scott and my buddy. And I was like “little Kristen” to him. So, to find out that we were then playing opposite one another was fun and crazy. When Scott auditioned for the role, I was ecstatic because we were really good friends. He is super sweet and fun to hang out with. Scott said to me, “I was so excited when I found out I would be working with you!”

MICHAEL:

Do you think their feelings for one another will be revisited, or is this romantic “thing” permanently squelched?

KRISTEN:

I don’t think that it’s going to come up later on. Starr and Schuler talked about everything that went on
and they realized what happened. Starr apologized and let him know that is not really how she felt. So, I think Schuyler had feelings for Starr because he missed Stacy, and she had feelings for him because she missed Cole. So they both understand what happened.

MICHAEL:

Over the next few weeks, are we going to need “hankies” when the bombshell drops about the baby-switch?

KRISTEN:

I know that Starr, and Marcie, and Jessica, and everyone are going to need “hankies”, and so I think the audience will, too! This will happen during the next few weeks and beyond. What’s so great about this storyline is that it is written so that it never ends. It’s written in a way that has explored everything, and has not been cut short, and nothing has been left out, or any important moments or decisions that characters have to make. It’s an actors dream to be on a show where you can develop the character in its entirety.

MICHAEL:

You have been so active in speaking on the subject of teen pregnancy, since Starr’s situation with that began well over a year and half ago. You spoke at seminars and symposiums, did PSA’s, and have really taken the issue and the responsibility of your television role to heart. Why was this so important for you to be speaking out on this very important social issue?

KRISTEN:

It was really important for me to connect with my fans about the storyline I was doing, because I have been on the show for 11 years now. The audience sees me as their “little girl”. I really wanted to let them know how I felt about doing the storyline, and that I wasn’t forced to do it. I felt it was an important issue to get out there. I really wanted to connect with the audience and get this message out there that this does happen to people’s little girls. It’s not just, “Oh, that won’t happen to her,” because everyone thought, “Oh, that would not happen to Starr,” and it did. It happens to children of parents all the time. So, I think it was a really important issue to get out there, and also to kind of express my feelings about people being able to discuss things with each other. I think talking it out with someone is the most important thing in someone’s life. If you cannot talk about things with someone… your parents, friends or family… if you can’t talk it out, there are going to be problems, and that is sometimes what happens with teenagers. They feel like they don’t have someone to talk to about sexual issues. So I really wanted to get out there and say, “Please, parents talk to your teens. It’s a really awkward issue but I’m telling you, you are going to feel better about it after, because it can prevent stuff from happening.” That was so great about doing my blog, “Start talking with Kristen”. I thought it was going to be a really big deal to do this storyline, but I had no idea how big it was going to be, and how much a success it would be, and how much I would personally learn from it. Once I was exploring it more and more and more, and learning the statistics of how many teenagers get pregnant, I thought. “We should really do more about this,” and it was great that we could!

hey this is amy willard i have been a fan of one llife to live for a long time now i watch it every week day it comes on i really like the starr and cole storylines kristen alderson is my rolemodel for soaps tv i really love her i wish i could meet her i am 26 years old and i also think brandon buddy is cute and hot to i like him to and i think that kristen and him should be together in real life and i like how kristen talks about pregnany that is good